VERMILLION — The Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion has replaced its 92-year-old chapter house at 327 North Pine Street.
“We have completed the new house ahead of schedule and on budget,” reported Building Committee Chair Mike Runge of Sioux Falls. The fraternity was very fortunate with the mild weather this winter that moved construction along quickly.
But luck stops with the weather — it was the hard work and expert knowledge from Mart Brothers Construction of Vermillion, and the experienced Building Committee led by Runge and Brandon Wilsey (also of Sioux Falls) that kept the construction on track and at budget.
During the one year of construction, undergraduate brothers lived in a few rented houses and apartments around Vermillion and held chapter meetings at the Munster University Center.
This is the fourth, and first purpose-built home for the 108-year-old chapter. The fraternity raised nearly $3.5 million for the new state-of-the-art chapter house. Campaign co-chairmen include former Gov. Dennis Daugaard (’75), former USD President Jim Abbott (’70), and former South Dakota Speaker of the House of Representatives Mark Mickelson (’88).
“We really need to replace it with something we can be proud of, something that demonstrates that Lambda Chi is here to stay,” said Daugaard in a video produced for the fundraising. “We need a house that can attract the kind of man that it has attracted over the years.”
The fraternity will hold a special dedication on Oct. 12 during Dakota Days Homecoming. The public is welcome to tour the house from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 10-12.
The previous chapter house was originally built as the Alpha Phi sorority in 1931, and the Lambda Chi’s purchased it in 1937. The fraternity recently initiated their 2,000th brother, Hari Kadarkaraisamy of Vermillion. Nearly 1,800 young men called 327 N. Pine Street their home over the years.
“Things evolve over time, technology evolves over time; everything now with USB and Wi-Fi connections and virtual meetings require modern facilities,” said chapter advisor Tyler Tordsen.
The undergraduates have already seen increases in recruiting with the excitement of a new, technology-equipped chapter house. With a spring 2024 average GPA of 3.50, over 2,500 hours volunteered, $8,000 raised for philanthropy, and 86% of members involved in at least one student organization, the Lambda Chi’s hope to fill the new house with new recruits.
“Overall, we are very proud of our chapter’s academic, recruitment, and philanthropic efforts this past year and can’t wait to see what else is in store in the years to come,” said current chapter president Max Mickelson, a fourth generation Lambda Chi at USD.
To see floor plans and learn more about the fraternity, visit LambdaChiAlphaAtUSD.org.
